Wrangell - St. Elias National Park

MAPS: McCarthy 1:250,000; McCarthy 1:63,360 B-6, C-5, C-6

DISTANCE: 14 miles round-trip from Kennicott to Summit

TERRAIN: Trail, glacier, steep slope to climb, scree

GLACIER CROSSING: Crampons are advisable; ropes not necessary

ACCESS: From McCarthy Rd, hand operated tram, walk or take bus to Kennicott

DIFFICULTY: Very Strenuous

The trail to Donoho Peak follows the Erie Mine trail starting at the north edge of the town of Kennicott. It crosses Bonanza Creek after one-half mile and Jumbo Creek another mile or so along the trail. Jumbo Creek should be crossed by hiking upstream about 50 yards and crossing on the planks, or by wading. Once across Jumbo Creek, you follow the Erie Mine trail only for another 0.25 mile.

You will want to hike down the moraine to Root Glacier when you see the first white ice. This is usually the easiest place to get on and off the glacier. Here is where you will put on crampons. Once on the ice, hike up to the top of the first hills. The best route across the glacier follows about 100 yards to the right of the rock-covered moraine (medial) for about 1/2 mile (until moraine height is only about 20 ft.). Here is where you cross the medial moraine. You may wish to remove your crampons on the rocks to avoid stressing them.

From the top of the moraine, you will see Donoho Peak (6,696 feet) and its southern flanks. The southern ridge line of Donoho Peak drops down to a brushy depression and then rises up to a low hillside near the junction of the Kennicott and Root Glaciers. Near the right hand side of the hillside you will see where a stream has cut a gully through the brush. This can be your target to guide you across the glacier. A relatively easy place can be found to exit the glacier a hundred yards to the right of this stream on the west side of the glacier. The stream cuts a narrow gorge close to the glacier and ends in spectacular waterfalls. Below the falls, the stream has cut a cave under the glacier. At certain times of the year, the cave is plugged with ice and a large lake forms in this basin.

Once across the top of the glacier, you can find a nice campsite by walking north along the top of the moraine. A few hundred yards north of the stream is a small pool of water with a few small sandy campsites. An animal trail follows the top of the moraine for several miles to the north and allows relatively easy hiking. Several hundred yards north of the campsite, a trail leads through the brush and across this peninsula of land, leading around two lakes and ending near the junction of the Kennicott and Gates glaciers. Usually the trail is hard to find past the second lake and it is easier to hike due west to access the top of the moraine, if you wish to hike beyond this point. (A nice campsite can be found in the sandy area near the Kennicott and Gates glacier junction.)

The hike to the lakes follows a brushed trail and can be followed if you are careful when it crosses open areas to look for the trail ahead of you. The hike to the lakes is a nice day hike from the campsite near the pool of water. Finding the start of the trail can be tricky. From the campsite near the small pool of water, hike along the top of the moraine for several hundred yards. Keep your eyes open for a large rock that sits in the trough between the moraine and the brush to your left. The trail starts up over a steep bank with a small patch of dirt about 200 yards beyond the rock. Just take your time finding the trail, getting in a hurry will only frustrate you if you have to bushwhack.

The trail goes around the right hand side of the first lake. For the adventurous, you can climb Donoho Peak via the largest scree slope that cuts a deep gully on the south side of the peak. The gully can be accessed by bushwhacking to the base of the scree slope from the trail in the section between the first and second lakes.

As you hike up the scree, you will cross remnants of the old mining trail that led upto the Regal mine. The mine sits under the summit tower of Donoho Peak on the south side. You can follow the old trail up to the mine, but at times it is non-existent. There are a few traces of the mine left, parts of the building lie scattered down the hillsides over the years from snowslides. Leave all historic objects in place for others to enjoy—it is illegal to move them. Later in the summer, the mine entrances usually melt open. You can see copper ore scattered around the area. The summit of Donoho Peak offers excellent views of not only Mt. Blackburn, but on a clear day Mts. Logan and St. Elias to the southeast. The return to Kennicott from Donoho is by backtracking your original route.